(Korean Movies) The Concubine, 2012

<Blood Nude> <Bungee Jumping> A new horizon in the royal court history
The ultimate eroticism that shows desire through an emotional love affair
<The Concubine: The Emperor's Concubine> is an erotic courtroom historical drama depicting the love affair and madness of lust and insanity in a brutal palace that goes crazy about love, revenge, power, and madness. Director Kim Dae-seung, who has changed the flow of Korean melodrama with his debut film <Bungee Jump> and has opened a new cage in a Korean historical thriller with <Blood Nude>, is attracting more attention as a new work in six years. .

Director Kim Dae-seung defines the topic of this film as 'desire', saying, "I will show a set of many desires that have to harm someone in order to survive and not die." Regarding the exposure, which is attracting attention, he conveys his intention, "Not only the level of exposure, but also the spirit god itself is very strong, but it was unavoidable because most of them are emotional gods that reveal human desires."
The love affair scenes in the movie have a great influence on the drama and take on the roles that are influenced by the drama. These are organically combined scenes where the story is resilient with a character that has been strengthened by the love affair scenes, and it is connected with the power to approach the subject more quickly with such resilience. Based on the director's unique delicate and emotional directing ability to sharpen the roads leading to the subject, a mad love story (政事/情事), in which intense energy collides, unfolds on the screen. It will open a new horizon in the history of the royal court by maximizing the genre characteristics of a historical drama with heavy drama and completing eroticism with outstanding artistry.
<The Concubine: The King's Concubine>, completed through the craftsmanship of director Kim Dae-seung, is an extension of the perfection of <Bungee Jump> and <Blood Nude> with intense drama and deep lingering aftertaste, and is another film that transcends the two films. heralds the birth of a monumental work of

Jo Yeo-jeong, Kim Dong-wook, and Kim Min-jun reborn with a new image
A daring challenge, an unconventional transformation, a climactic performance
Another reason why <The Concubine: The King's Concubine> is attracting attention as the most intense top Korean film project of 2012 is thanks to the exceptional performances of actors Jo Yeo-jeong, Kim Dong-wook, and Kim Min-jun. It has already attracted attention from the production stage and has been in the center of the topic by receiving spotlights whenever images and videos related to the movie are released because it reflects the expectations for the new appearance, unconventional exposure, and climax performance predicted by the three actors. .

Jo Yeo-jeong, in charge of the title role, showed a variety of charms by exuding classic beauty and sexy beauty through the movie <Bangjajeon> and her unique youthfulness in the drama <I Need Romance>. It portrays the fate of a woman who became a concubine because of love and had to change in order to live, and the fate of a woman who was swept away by a mismatched love. From sad eyes, sensual figure, to the luxurious dignity of a woman in the royal palace, the emotional change and dramatic story of the character that occurred as she entered the cruel palace where she could not live without it was perfected, thereby enhancing the film's perfection. As the saying goes, “I acted so that the audience could see the truth and feel the truth,” you can see a more mature image in terms of acting skills and image through this movie. Kim Dong-wook, who was loved for his cute image through various works, plays the role of 'Daegun Seongwon', a king who is naked with power and love. As “a role that has not been seen in existing historical dramas, with the greatest pain and sorrow in the work,” it foretells the explosive acting power that leads the heavy drama, and presents the most surprising transformation this year that cannot be found in the existing fragile image.
Kim Min-jun, a representative actor with a masculine image, played the role of 'Kwon-yu', a man who had to be helplessly deprived of the woman he loved, as the incarnation of romance. He said, “a character that represents the romance of a man who transcends death”, he expanded the existing acting spectrum by acting the most rapidly changing character in the film.

A flexible variation that harmonizes the heaviness of an orthodox historical drama with the interest of fiction
Pioneering a new genre of Korean cinema with a fictional historical drama that achieved a sense of achievement
<The Concubine: The King's Concubine> is a classic historical drama centered on a scenario that has been praised for its tense development and highly attractive composition from the initial stage of production, and adds unconventional and intense exposure for dramatic perfection to the traditional historical drama. It challenges the achievement of the genre as a fictional historical drama that has never been seen before.

<The Concubine: The Emperor's Concubine> is a fictional historical drama written entirely by imagination, and differentiates it from Faction, which adds fiction to historical facts. Unlike faction historical dramas, which add a story that may have occurred in actual events, fiction historical dramas can maximize the fun of characters and stories by stepping away from historical distortions and freeing up the cinematic imagination.
The film shows the present reality through the process of metaphorizing what makes us difficult and makes the world like hell by comparing events that happened in the background of the past. Based on the setting that the current world is the same as the space of a hellish palace, it contains the tragedy of the characters who change to be miserable in the environment of survival of the fittest, exposing strong claws to satisfy each other's desires. Also, by introducing the different desires of the characters, it depicts the process of sacrificing for others, revealing their desires without filtration, and imprisoning themselves in the justification of harming someone in order to survive. In such a story, it will provide a rare experience that stimulates agitation of intense emotions that is both erotic and dramatic by advocating the eroticism of the royal historical drama, which is rooted in sadness caused by sadness.

It is clear that it will mark a milestone as a pioneer of a new genre of Korean cinema through its apex as a fictional historical drama with a sense of genre fulfillment that freely changes the intensity of orthodox historical dramas and the excitement that crosses fiction and facts.

Korea's representative talented actors
A true performance feast featuring the perfect ensemble
In <The Concubine: The King's Concubine>, in addition to the main actors, Korea's representative talented actors who are loved for their strong presence joined together to add to the trust in the film.
Park Ji-young, who has firmly established herself in the minds of audiences with her outstanding acting skills in films such as <Elegant World> and <The Maid>, plays the role of 'Comparison' with absolute charisma who endured and overcame the harsh winds and waves of the palace. show the apex.
In addition, Lee Kyung-young, who shows a stable performance in each work, appears as the 'eunuch' and represents the audience while watching everything about the palace, which is crazy about power, love, and revenge. In the role of 'Yakbang eunuch', which combines with eunuchs, Park Chul-min, who has a reputation for his excellent agility, satirizes the appearance of the palace by throwing a bone-in line that stabs the decomposition.
Here, the role of 'Geum-ok', who enriches the case with another stem, is played by Jo Eun-ji, who is recognized as the best licorice actress among actors of the same age, and plays the crystal of pure desire. In particular, he showed a character full of personality in various movies, but with this movie, he challenged a historical drama for the first time and created a fresh atmosphere.
Not only that, the ensemble formed by the famous actor Oh Hyun-kyung and Oh Ji-hye, who made her first screen appearance with her father after 20 years of acting life, adds a cinematic feel, and actor Jeong Chan plays the role of 'Seonwang', the sickly older brother of Seongwon Dae-gun, played by Kim Dong-wook. This special appearance leaves a deep impression with just a brief appearance.
Their true feast of acting completes a solid drama and heightens the tension to the climax and doubles the fun of the movie.

[ Production Note ]

The perfect mise-en-scène completed by the best staff in the Korean film industry
A new visual aesthetic that stands out for its genre merits
The acclaimed screenplay, the passionate performances of the actors, and the visuals created by perfect harmony of filming, lighting, art, and costumes under the direction of director Kim Dae-seung are the highlight of <The Concubine: The King's Concubine>. This was made possible with the participation of talented producers who lead Korean films.
In <The Concubine: The Emperor's Concubine>, the filming of Hwang Ki-seok in <Detective Duelist>, Cho Geun-hyeon art in <Indecent Confession>, Cho Young-wook music in <Unfair Transaction> and <Bat>, and Jo Sang-gyeong costume in <Gojijeon> and <Bat> are all within the Korean film industry. The best staff from all over the world participated.

They created the most splendid and most terrifying space of a virtual era that did not exist, a palace that could not be lived without madness. Desire is the perfect mise-en-scène of props and costumes to express the change of emotional lines between the characters that maximize the topic of the movie and the erotic atmosphere underlying the film, raising the dramatic perfection to the highest level.
The process of interlocking technical parts and stories along with acting to arrive at the theme of the play is an indispensable element in the historical drama genre. In the sense that the perfection of various devices is very important, the mise-en-scène, which takes advantage of the merits of a fictional historical drama, and adds the imagination of the staff instead of historical evidence, is a great strength of this film.

Director Kim Dae-seung is also confident that it is a film that fits the story, acting, and device, so the visuals created by the best staff, such as art, costumes, and shooting, will create the best sensation in the Korean film industry in 2012 with a new visual aesthetic that has never been seen before.

Realization of warm and soft light that makes a cold subject stand out
A picture-like video harmonized with a feast of light and color
<The Concubine: The King's Concubine> was filmed in Seoul, Namyangju, Yangju, Yongin, Pyeongchang, Gangneung, and Mungyeong for about 4 months.
Director of Photography Hwang Ki-seok, who showed a sensual visual tailored to the genre as in films such as <The Best Moment of Our Life> and <Detective Duelist>, produced a scene using light rays in <The Concubine: The King's Concubine>. Contrary to the cinematic theme of the brutal palace, the focus was on making a film that received warm light as a whole. In order to overcome the limitation in which the day and night lighting do not contrast sharply due to the spatial constraints of the historical drama genre, the yellow and blue colors are effectively intersected to maximize the difference between each scene.

In addition, director Kang Dae-hee, who established himself in Chungmuro with excellent senses such as <Modern Boy> <Disbelief Hell> <Moss> and <Howling>, challenged the historical drama for the first time through <The Concubine: The Emperor's Concubine>. However, it is not limited to the genre of historical dramas, and the concept of 'light as if looking at a Western painting' is reminiscent of <Girl with a Pearl Earring> and <Piano>, and reproduces the luxurious and soft light as much as possible with lighting. In accordance with the characteristics of the set made of shoji paper, which transmits light well, the light inside is controlled, the characters are gently wrapped, and the light is divided according to the symbol of the power contained in the space. It shone even more, completing a picture-like image.

Art that gives meaning to each space and pursues high-class modernism
Elegant and colorful costumes that gave birth to the Korean version of Shakespeare's tragedy
Art director Cho Geun-hyeon, who vividly embodies the refined and ripe oriental beauty in films such as <Janghwa, Hongryeon>, <Lawful Confession> and <Detective Duelist>, is the modernism of the Joseon Dynasty, which pursued simplicity in clothes, ceramics, and furniture without frills. I took the elegance of the art as the main theme of the art. Based on this, we created a space for the characters by excluding as much as possible the interior decorations that can be splendid or messy, as shown in historical drama art that we have always seen. Because the 'Ilwoloakdo', which appears as the main background in the movie, dominates the space more conspicuously than the characters, it is boldly erased, giving the effect that it has gradually disappeared in the traces of time. All elements have been removed. In addition, in order to artistically interpret the humanistic background conceived by director Kim Dae-seung, 'Milgung', the narrowest and deepest place in the palace, maximizes the image by making narrow and long stairs, and 'Hapgungbang' is a carp and octagonal room that symbolizes fertility. to shape the pond. In terms of the grain of the trees, which are the main materials of the space, feminine spaces such as 'Hwayeon's Residence' are curved and bright, and 'Seitjeon' and 'Jeongjeon', which symbolize masculine spaces, have a linear and dark feel.

Costume director Jo Sang-gyeong, who showed differentiated costumes through works such as <Mr. Kind Venus>, <Bat> and <Gojijeon>, focused on reviving the feeling of Shakespeare's tragedy that he remembered when he first encountered the scenario by challenging the costume for the first time. In order to express the splendid beauty of royal attire, referring to historical evidence, I created a style that emphasizes the merits of a fictional historical drama that is not tied to a specific period by making use of the splendid, old-fashioned and elegant beauty and changing colors, shapes, and materials.
The characteristic of the costumes in the film is the costume, emphasizing the differences in the status of the people in the palace, and depicting the changes in the positions and emotions of the characters. Through the image of being crushed by huge clothes, it reveals the emotions of the characters who are suppressed by desire, and the change from an achromatic color such as white to a more distinct color reveals the change of identity and the desires that change accordingly. Daegun Seongwon expressed the depth of various desires and emotions hidden layer by layer in a high-saturated primary color gonnyongpo, from a sokjeogori to a 6-layered costume. In the case of contrast, a clear desire and personality are shown through strong textures and colors, and Hwayeon enters the royal palace in the saga, and the costume changes according to a series of processes of being pushed back to the concubine. In the saga, Kwon showed an unconventional free spirit, but after entering the palace, he expressed the feeling of being deprived of everything with a standardized dark green costume.